The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1887-04-06

SOFA. Facts .i.out the Iat:tIyb.t I'::llsHoN
Nearly We Kissed Having the West Point
of the Im;teG states at Rocky Mount.
CFyu,n til" Sunday NcwS.)

O'r"m the >und;ty Ncw>}
in lS02 John Drayton, then Goyecno,
! OF South Carolina, published q small
F.; work, nos rather scarce, "a view; o
Sonth Carolina as respects her na.ara
! aud civil concerns. IN the Iirst chap
ter, under one Of the heads, Cascades,
he thus describes the Catawba Falls, al
the southeastern corner OF Chester
! cc:ulty:
] For quantity OF water and grandeur
OF appearance, perhaps the Catawba
| Falls are the 13ost interesting Of any in
this State Trey are situated little
above the Rock Mount, and tie ap-
proach to the,2 IS over the hills which
iiue the sides OF the river. On either
side the rocks arc piled up in It wall OF
many feet high, ard hills rising above
them in sharp, conical SUBMITS, nod
over The rupture below. Now the
Catawba is arrested il It's course, ana
from 4 width oi one hundred and eighty
yards this river is forced by the hills
and rocks on either side to shoot down
the gllph in Il channel Of only sixty
five yards wide. Collecting its waters,
impetuous and noisy. it thunde;s down
the falls, tumbling over massy rocks
and foaming froI shore TO shoe, wheel
ing its large %nirlpools and glancinS
from rock to rock with madGening fury,
not ceasing its troubled waves until it
has leaped over twenty falls in the dis
tance OF two and half miles. and has
precipitated from It's height a depth OF
ninety feet. Here, below Rocky Mount,
il begins to subside and spreads oyer =
channel three hundred and eighteen
yards wide; but is not composed. For
miles below, rocks are scattered III It's
way, at times irritating its waters ana
provoking the rapidity OF its stream.
DR.. Davis; Ramsey lS0o) and Robert
Mills 1926 give similar descriptions ot
these falls. which are connected with ~
almost forgotten page Of our history.
y committee Of the House OF Repre-
sentativcs OF the IhSrl Congress, "to
whom so much OF the Presidents speech
as relates to arms and military stores,
magazines and arsenals' was referred,
made their report March ;, l1.ji They
offered the following resolution: Re
solved, that the President Of the United
States be authorized 70 direct two
arsenals and magazines, 10 be erected in
proper situations, to accommodate the
Southern and Middle States, and that Il
sum not exceeding ttty-nine thousald
dollars be provided for that purpose.
December =, 20, Timothy Picker
ing secretary Of war, reported Cd the
measures. which lave been purgucd &c
obtain proper sites Tor arserals. He
says: 1t having been determined to
erect onc arsenal on the Potomac and
another IN South Carolina, the latter in
q situation to and from winch water
would be afforded, and
the former N the vicinity OF ( number
OF IRON works, the necessary orders We're
given in the year lI9: for exploring both
countries. The engineer
for the purpose IL South Car
olina made report, which was received
early II the last summer. Ee lad eX-
plored that part Of the country TO which
his attention had been directed by tic
Executive. lie also examined another.
The latter, independent OF is :>eing IL a
more healthful situation, Was deemed bv
him to possess some other advantages
over the former
The engineer alluded 10 was most
probably ''Colonel John Christian Senl,
engineer to the State, who at that time
was digging the Santee Canal !. 1..92-lSO0. S!
The second place referred to was proba
bly, Rocky Mount; the first place is not
known.
February ,, lSG2, Thomas Jefferson,
President, sent n /; Short message, II
which, lie says, ''Besides the permanent
established a Springfield,
West Point, HHpers Ferry. It IS!
ii ght one should be established IL
some point convenient for the States OF
North Carolina, SoEtl Caroline and
Georgia; such a point will probably be
found neai' the border OF tie Cwoiinas,
and some small provision by the Legis
lature preparatory to the establishment
will be necessary for the present year.
In January, 1St3, Ell WiiSney, ''in
ventor OF the co;ton-gin, was selected
to assist Colonel Sent IN choosing the
site for the arsenal Dear Rocky Mount
Whitney was at that time pressing lis
claims before the North Carolina Ec9is-
lature. For expenses from Raleigh to
Rocky Mount, and for professional! scr
vices while there, lie received lie very
m ~ lcr.,tn a foe nf tif+ dollars ;'cinrpl